The Tardis In Hillwood
by aubzdall
Summary: Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe find themselves in the T.A.R.D.I.S with a man that calls himself The Doctor and claims to know things about their missing friend, Helga Pataki.
1. Chapter 1

Whereever he looked, she was there, smiling out at him. Mocking him. What he would have given to touch her arm, to hold her tightly, and hear her laugh once gain. Just once. It really wasn't so much to ask, was it? Or time. Things would have been different. Oh things would have been so different if he knew then what he knew now. If he knew that the sound of her voice sent chills down his spine…if he knew that making her laugh was the most rewarding thing he could do…if he knew, he would have never let her leave. He would have stayed with her, gone with her, fought for her…died for her if he needed to.

He loved her, but he didn't realize it until she was gone.

"Arnold…Hey Arnold…HEY ARNOLD!"

He was finally pulled from his daze, forcing his attention from the missing poster plastered on the light post and to his best friend. Gerald had certainly changed, but not as much as Arnold would ever admit. His hair was still taller than his head was, but he was still one of, if not _the _coolest kid at Hillwood High School. "Man, did you not hear a word I just said, man?" Gerald sighed, shaking his head.

Arnold glanced back at the missing person's poster and then to Gerald. "Sorry…no, I didn't."

Gerald rolled his eyes. He should have been used to this by now, but Arnold's constant daydreams never ceased to surprise him. "You ougta let her go, man. I mean, you never even told her how you feel."

Arnold's eyes narrowed into glare aimed at his friend, "I didn't know how I felt until she went missing." He stated defensivlly, his voice low and menacing.

"I know, man, I know!" Gerald declared, throwing his hands into the air. "My point is, you gotta move on, man. Why don't you ask Lila to the formal next week?"

Arnold rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Gerald, Lila and I just…don't work."

"Why not?" Gerald asked loudly. "I mean you and that girl have _so _much in common."

"We have _too _much in common." Arnold mumbled. "Besides, since she dated Arnie…it would just be…weird."

Gerald shrugged, "Alright, not Lila. How about Rhonda?"

Arnold laughed loudly and shook his head, "Even if I was interested, Rhonda wouldn't give me the time of day, Gerald. I mean, she's the queen bee of every clique at school and she only dates college guys."

Gerald frowned, though Arnold had a point, "Alright. What about…"

Arnold cut his friend off before he could continue as they turned into an alley, a shortcut to Arnold's house. "Gerald…I really don't want to be with anyone."

"Anyone but Pataki." Gerald challenged playfully.

Arnold frowned and kicked a can at his feet. "Yeah, Gerald."

They were silent for a few seconds before Gerald finally stopped and perked up, listening intently. Arnold raised an eyebrow at his friend looked around for the source of the noise. "Gerald…what're you doing?"

"Don't you hear that, Arnold?" Gerald asked in a hushed tone.

Arnold listened, and he did hear it.

"What _is_ that?" Arnold asked cautiously.

Gerald shrugged and they stood still. The sound was a warping melody of grinding gears, or something of the like. What was that?

A gust of wind caught their attention and when they turned around, their voices were taken from them.

"That…that wasn't there before." Gerald stated, his voice shaky and uncertain as he and Arnold slowly walked toward it.

"It looks like a…blue phone booth." Arnold said to himself once they were standing before the structure. And he was right. It _did_ look like a blue phone booth. The kind you phone in the United Kingdom. One saying Police Box. It didn't make any sense.

"Well where did this thing come from?" Gerald asked, cautiously reaching out and knocking on the bright blue wooden paneling, just to make sure that it was real.

Arnold and Gerald bloth screeched and jumped back when the door swung open and a man jumped out onto the pavement before them. He seemed harmless enough, wearing dark sunglasses, a tweed suit, and a blue bowtie the same color as the Police Box, his hair a mop of brown. He took off his sunglasses and stared intently at the two of them. Arnold and Gerald just stared at him as touched the brick wall and licked the residue off his fingers before contemplating for a moment. It was unclear if he was contemplating what he had done, why he had tasted a wall, or what he was doing here.

Finally, he cleared the distance between himself and Arnold, taking the football headed teen's face into his hands, forcing his mouth open, and gazing at his tonsils. "Ah yes, you must be Arnold!"

Arnold stared at the man, his confusion only growing when he was pulled into a firm embrace. The british man patted his back firmly before releasing him. "Yes, well no time to lose. Come along." The man turned on his heels and bounced back to the blue phone box.

"Who are you?" Gerald asked, unsure of what was happening or what was going on, who this person was, where that damn box had come from, and how this man knew Arnold from looking down his throat.

The man turned around and gave them a devilish smile before straightening his bowtie. "I'm the doctor. Come on, Gerald. Your girlfriend's waiting."

"PHoebe?" Gerald gave Arnold a panicked look, and his only got a shrug back. "If you've hurt her I swear to god!" Gerald lunged at the man, but he stepped aslide and opened the doors. Arnold rushed forward when Gerald vanished inside. Arnold glared at the man, but stopped dead in his tracks once he was inside the box.

"Impossible." Gerald breathed as he got onto his feet.

Arnold glanced back at the Doctor, who looked a bit smug as he watched them admire his box. "It's…it's…" Arnold began.

The Doctor shrugged, "Go ahead, say it."

"Bigger on the inside." Gerald and Arnold finished together.

The doctor chuckled, "That is my favorite part of showing someone new the Tardis."

"Tardis?" Arnold asked.

"He says he has information about Helga." Arnold and Gerald looked up to see Phoebe Heyerdahl seated casually on a staircase in the massive structure.

Gerald rushed to his girlfriend and kissed her firmly. "When did he get you?"

Phoebe shrugged, "About an hour ago. Probably five minutes after you and Arnold left my house."

Arnold and Gerald glanced at each other. "Babe…we only left your house about ten minutes ago."

Gerald and Phoebe stared at each other, unable to fathom a proper response. The doctor stepped in and gave them one instead. "Ah yes well you see the Tardis is a time machine, and a spaceship. Anywhere in time and space you want to go and you're there!"

"Then…why did it take so long to get to Gerald and Arnold?" Phoebe asked cautiously.

The Doctor frowned. "She takes me where I need to be. Not always where I want to go."

"She?" Arnold asked.

"Enough questions." The doctor went to the center of the massive room and started pulling, pushing, twisting, and turning switches. With a lurch they were off. The doctor casually went to the door and pushed it open, revealing a cosmos just outside, leaving Gerald, Phoebe, and Arnold breathless. "Now…I needed to talk to all of your about our mutual friend, Helga Pataki."

**Sorry it's kinda short, but I wanted to get it writ and I'm kinda sick. May be more by tomorrow, but there also may not be. Please review if you'd like me to continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alrighty everyone. Get ready for your mind to explode with my random ideas. (I thought it was a pretty boss idea, but still…totally random) And I'm pretty sure it's what you think it is. Or…not, but it makes perfect sense to me! Must stop talking to myself. Anywhere, here's how Helga and The Doctor met. **

_Hillwood, Seven Months Before_

Helga scowled down at her hands and ran one of her nails under another in a futile attempt to give them a cleaner appearance. It didn't matter. The same thing happened with all of the other mechanics at the shop where she worked. The difference between them and her was that she actually cared that her hands didn't look dipped in oil when she wasn't working with cars and she had the luxury of being able to cover up the dark rim of residue under her nails with polish. She honestly never would have expected to work part time as a mechanic, but since she and her dad had torn apart his humvee and put it back together she learned that she had a real knack for it. It was easy for her, and fun. Not to mention the pay was good.

She gnawed the nail of her thumb and stopped dead in her tracks. Had she just…

"_THEIF!" _The voice was loud and shrill, yet no one else seemed to hear it. She looked at the people on the other side of the street and then to Mrs. Vitello, who was casually watering some of her flowers outside of her shop. "_THEIF!" _the voice cried out again.

Helga rolled her eyes and made a break for the voice. She didn't take six years of jujitsu classes for nothing. If she caught up with this theif she was going to hand their asses to them on a plate. She knew these streets like the back of her hand. Nothing would surprise her.

At least that's what she thought before she collided headfirst with the wall of a big blue box that definitely hadn't been there before. Helga groaned and rubbed her skull, making sure that she wasn't bleeding and everything was in one piece. She'd heard stories about people dying from running head first into an object and she didn't want to be another statistic.

"What the hell?" She said to herself, dabbing under her nose to check for blood.

"THEIF!"

Helga blinked a few times. The yelling…it was…it was coming from inside this strange, random blue phone box. Where had this thing eve come from? Thanks to cell phones there were hardly any payphones in Hillwood, but even if there were, they wouldn't be styled off of a British payphone. And British payphones were red. And didn't have the words Police Box on them. What the hell was a police box? Cautiously, she reached out and knocked on the door. "Um…hello? Is anyone in there?"

The screaming stopped. Helga was pretty sure she'd lost her marbles. What if there wasn't even a box here and there had been no screaming. What if she was just a nut?

She didn't know if she was relieved or more worried when a voice finally answered. "You're not my thief."

Helga swallowed a lump in her throat. "No…no, I'm not a thief. I heard yelling and…came to help."

"You want to find my thief?"

Helga was growing more and more confused. The person considered the thief _her _thief. Not just _a _thief. It was making less and less sense, but she tried to not let it phase her. "Yeah, sure. What did this thief steal?"

"He stole me."

Helga blinked a few times. "What?"

"You can hear me, skinny girl?"

She stole a glance at her figure before staring back at the box. She was feeling more and more insane by the second. "Um…so this person…kidnapped you?"

"Come inside, skinny girl."

Helga took a step back as the doors swung outwards. She glanced inside the box, which was dark and seemingly empty. Finally, she steeled her nerves and walked in, jumping when the door shut behind her. She took a step forward, expecting to find the woman or that wall, but she found nothing. "Um…where are you?" She asked groping the empty air and continuing to step forward. How big was this box? It didn't look that big from the outside. It just…didn't make sense.

"I'm here. You're inside me, skinny girl."

"My name is Helga." Helga declared shortly.

"I'm Time And Relative Dement ion In Space."

"Huh?" Helga could feel her eyebrows come together in confusion.

"You can call me The Tardis if you like. Most everyone does."

"Tardis." Helga tasted the name on her tongue. "Kinda weird, but ok. Is there a light in here?"

"I hadn't even thought of that. My apologies."

The room filled with light and Helga's breath was taken from her. She stumbled back, but was caught by a rail before she could fall into the lower level. This place it was…it was _huge_! Too huge. There were gadgets and machines everywhere, all of them somewhat familiar, yet advanced, and also incredibly obsolete. Still for all the things in the room…the woman screaming thief wasn't there. "I don't understand. Where are you?"

"Skinny girl, you're _inside_ me."

Helga blinked and let it sink in. "You're the box?" She exclaimed.

"I'm the Tardis." the voice answered, growing annoyed.

"But…but…what the….I mean how….but the outside is…and inside it's so…I mean…I mean…" Helga started to hyperventilate as she spoke. How was this possible?

"Now you'll go find my thief?"

But Helga couldn't. With a loud thud, she fainted onto the floor.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Helga blinked a few times and once her vision cleared she found herself staring up at a pair of big brown eyes, that looked just as confused as she felt. What the hell had happened?

"Well you've been out for a while." he stated, shoving his pinky finger into her mouth before she could stop him, only to examine her siliva and sniff at it. She grimaced, her befuddlement only becoming stronger. He helped her sit up and she watched him as he stared into her eyes and applied pressure to her jaw line. "You seem to be alright."

"Um…thanks." She said as he helped her onto her feet.

"Now, more importantly…how did you get in here?"

Helga blinked a few times and glanced around the room. It couldn't be! She was back in the phone booth room! Or…she was still in the phone booth room. She racked her brain for a few moments, considering what the hell _had_ happened. "Um…it…she let me in."

"She?" He sat her down and glanced inside her ear.

"The…um…the Tardis."

He pulled away from her and scrutinized her. "What did you say?"

"She was screaming about a thief." Helga admitted reluctantly. "I ran to help, but she wasn't…I mean she was….this thing."

He leaned forward and stared her down. "You mean to tell me that you…heard the Tardis? Like the same way you're hearing me?"

Helga nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I don't really get it myself, but I kind of…freaked out I guess….who're you?"

He laughed and for the first time she realized that he had a British accent. She liked British accents, they were her favorite. Still, that seemed to be every American girl's favorite accent. "I'm the Doctor. What's your name?"

"I'm Helga."

"Lot of help you were, skinny girl." A familiar voice

Helga glared in no particular direction. "My name is Helga, not skinny girl."

"Both of you, play nice." The Doctor chided gently, fidgetting awkwardly and grinning. "This is just…I had no idea anything like this could happen! I'm so pleased to meet you, Helga."

"Right back at ya, Doc." Helga rubbed her head and cautiously stood up. "What exactly is this thing…place…thing?"

The Doctor beamed at her. "Would you like to see?"

Helga couldn't help but grin back. "Sure! What am I seeing?"

"Anything! Anything you want." He began to circle the control panel, flipping switches.

"Anything?" Helga challenged. "You could take me to meet Shakespeare?"

"Ah, a fan of his?" The Doctor asked smiling.

"A fan?" Helga chuckled, "I played Juliet in my school's play when I was nine."

"Nine?" He sounded impressed. "That's impressive for such a young girl. I'm not very convinced."

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound. Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?"

The Doctor smirked, accping the challenge, "Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike."

"Told ya." She smirked and smugly crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well then let's go see Shakespeare."

She quirked a brow at him. "Funny."

"Hold onto something."

**Yep, that's right. Helga can talk to the Tardis. Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

"He's in one of his moods."

Helga glanced at the hologram that the T.A.R.D.I.S. had chosen to use, making a conversation between the two of them much easier. Even the doctor was able to converse with her this way. Helga didn't know why they hadn't been able to before. She placed her book aside and pulled her sunglasses down to scrutinize the hologram. "What're you talking about, Tardy?"

The hologram shrugged. Helga couldn't have said who this woman was, but the doctor knew her as the woman that once held the T.A.R.D.I.S' soul for a short time. "You'll see soon enough. He'll be coming in here to tell you to get dressed any minute now."

Helga blinked at the hologram. Sometimes she still couldn't believe she was on this adventure. She was reading a first edition of Jane Eyre, that was practically brand new while lounging next to a pool under a thick glass ceiling, giving her a perfect view of what the Doctor had called Zevik's Nebula, which was astounding enough even without the fact that she'd spent two days with Shakespeare the day before. She was genuinely surprised when they didn't hit it off. He'd tried to steal a verse she'd quoted from Edgar Allan Poe and when she said that _she _wouldn't be the one to publish it he kept pestering and pestering her on the matter. The Doctor had declared their visit over after she broke his nose because he kept coming onto her and wouldn't take no for an answer. Still, in spite of all that she loved his work and had enjoyed getting to see Hamlet being performed for the first time at the Globe Theater.

Just as the T.A.R.D.I.S. had said, the Doctor came throug the door to the pool with a massive grin on his face. "Alright Helga, get dressed."

"Forget it." she said shortly, "Never meet your heroes. Never again, at least."

The Doctor smirked and rolled his eyes, "You won't have to meet anyone. You'll love it, I swear."

She sighed and looked a the T.A.R.D.I.S.' hologram, who shrugged in return. Finally, with a sigh she set aside her book and went to get ready.

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

Helga adjusted her hair under the yellow hat that the Doctor had picked for her. She had been going to wear something pink, but then decided against it. Besides, the green dress she wore, mixed with the yellow hat reminded her of Arnold and how much she really missed him. True, it had only been a week, and one of the best weeks of her life, but she couldn't help but miss him and wonder…did he miss her too?

"So, when are we, Doc? Also where are we?"

The Doctor looked around and ignored the mass of people avoiding his gaze and the existence of the T.A.R.D.I.S. "We are in San Francisco in about….1934."

Helga nodded, " 're we doing here?"

The Doctor held up a pair of tickets and grinned at her, "We're going to an art show." He offered her his arm and with a smile, she graciously accepted it.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So you're taking us to see Helga?" Arnold asked, his voice bouncing with excitement.

The Doctor frowned and made an indiscernible noice as he looked for the right words. "Well…no."

"But you said-" Phoebe began.

"Yes yes, I know what I said, but there's a stop we need to make first."

The T.A.R.D.I.S. stopped abruptly and the Doctor opened the door and gestured for everyone to join him in leaving. They stepped onto the lawn of a spacious and beautiful house. Arnold and Gerald glanced at each other before following the Doctor to the door, Gerald wrapping an arm protectively around Phoebe.

The Doctor rang the bell and they waited for almost thirty seconds before someone answered it. The man looked very familiar to the three teens from Hillwood, but none of them could place where they'd seen him.

"Doctor!" he greeted him enthusiastically and embraced him, clapping him hard on the shoulder a few times.

The Doctor grinned and returned the gesture. "It's great to see you again, Edward. We aren't imposing by visiting, are we?"

Edward shook his head and stepped inside, "No not at all. Please, come in." He stood aside, welcoming them all in.

"Edward this is Arnold, Gerald, and Phoebe. They're friend's of Helga's." the doctor informed the man as they stepped inside.

Edward shook all of their hands individually, "Any friend of Helga's is a friend of mine. Lovely girl, full of fire. Is she here as well?" he asked, shutting the door behind them.

The Doctor frowned, "I'm afraid not."

"Oh."Edward looked a bit let down. "Well that's alright. I know just how busy the two of you tend to be. Oh! Would you mind giving her something? A gift from me to her. A…a thank you I suppose you could say."

The Doctor smiled, though it seemed forced, "I'd be happy to."

Edward nodded, "Please, make yourself at home. I'll be right back."

Phoebe had already busied herself with examining the contents of Edward's home. However, she paused at the calendar. "Um…I don't understand…is this right?"

Gerald pulled himself away from the hats on the coat rack to join his girlfriend and best friend as they examined the calendar. Arnold stared at the piece of paper, his mouth agape as he shook his head, "No…no that can't be right."

"1935?" Gerald asked aloud. "That was like ninety years ago."

"Seventy-eight years ago." Phoebe corrected him gently. "This can't be right."

"You'd be surprised." The Doctor said with an amused tone.

"Alright here it is!" Edward stated loudly as he decended the stairs, a large frame hanging towards him in one hand. "I know she might find this to be….sketchy, I think is the word she used, but there's always the chance."

The Doctor looked at the contents of the frame and smiled. "She'll love it, I promise."

The teens maneuvered behind the Doctor to get a good look at the painting and Phoebe's jaw dropped. "That's Automat." she said in an awed, hushed tone.

Edward blinked at her a few times, "Yes, that actually is what I've named it. You know my work?"

She stared at him and suddenly it hit her. How could she have not seen it before? It was impossible, yet here he was. "You're Edward Hopper." she said under her breath.

Edward glanced at the Doctor, who merely nodded, "Um…yes, I'm Edward Hopper."

Phobe quikly closed the distance between them and shook his hand violently, "I'm such a huge fan of your work. The simplicity is just staggering and so underappreciated and it just…it just speaks to me."

Edward chuckled and finally pried his hand free, "Well thanks you, Phoebe. It's always nice to meet a fan. Would you like to stay for lunch?"

Arnold's stomach had been growling for nearly an hour and Gerald had been complaining about being hungry for a good half hour before they'd arrived at Edward's house. "Yes!" The three teens sang in unison.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Arnold stared at the painting as the T.A.R.D.I.S. lurched into motion. He had just been almost eighty years in the past, speaking to a famous artist. A famous artist who knew Helga. Arnold had seen the painting before. He'd always found it beautiful, but also sad. Why would Helga be sad? He was sad because he missed her and wanted more than anything to see her again. She, on the other hand, was living a life that most only could dream of. Seeing the world, and probably others with the flip of a switch, meeting famous artists and being the subject to their works.

He sighed and resisted the urge to reach the distance between him and the canvas. He missed her.

He loved her.

He wanted to see her again more than anything.

And where the Doctor claimed to be able to take them anywhere to do anything…then why hadn't he taken them to Helga yet.

**HomesSlice, get out of my brain! Nice call though. I mean I had to put Edward Hopper in. The painting where Helga is the subject (in the story at least) is called Automat. If you notice she's wearing the proper outfit at the beginning on the chapter. It's really pretty, you should look it up. Edward Hopper is awesome. Anyway, that's it for now! Hope y'all liked it and don't forget to review**


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